The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1887-02-17
SPURIOUS WINES.
"A D~fstfllation of Raisfns, CoIored
with Log wood-SuppIytn. Deal -
ers with Labels-The Cost Of

E.S~"@
srs with Labels-The Cost Of
Manufacture. n T.
Were the statement to be made that
the Amer cans are becoming a nation
of wine-drinkers, there would doubt.
less be hosts of people ready at a mo-
fncnt's notice to refute the assertion,
and to prove both by observation and
figures that it was without foundation.
But even casual observers admit. a y
The NeW Yorb Commercial Advertisey,
that the use of wine among the army of
business men who are daily fed in the
4 lower portions of the city is increas ng.
The keepers of restaurants say that full
" tWo-thirds of those paying IS ce nts
and over for u luncheon drink ale, beer
or wine, and that the majority would
prefer the latter were they sure that
they were furnished with an undrugged
and unadulterated article. Much has
been said relative to manufactured
wines, and the fun of drinking them is
NJ only second to that of eating oleomar-
garine or glucose. The latter are not
positively injurious to the health. while
the former are open to all the objec-
tions usually made to spirituous drinks.
and are in addition really harmful to
the system. AS many as 2, 500, 600 gall
Ions of wine are often received in New
York in one month, and it is an open
question what percentage of it is the
pure and unauthorized juice of the
grape. In order to see what portion is
either American production or else of
SA&ArsAScen ns l@om ~nA:, ~~n-r x~
must arrive at some idea of the amount
of the foreign vintages.
The leading foreign red and white
wines are the Chateau Laftte. Chateau
Y'Quein. Chateau Margaux. Chateau
Haut-Brion. Moselle, and Chiante.
With the exception of the latter wine,
the following table shows the amount
produced of each in, 1884: Chateau La
ftte, first and second class. 6S5 hogs
heads; Chateau Y'Quein, -, 900 dozen;
Chateau Margaux. first and second
class, go hogsheads, and Chateau
Haut-Brion, $50 hogsheads. Chiante,
which is popularity supposed to be an
Italian wine, first commended itself to
the American public by reason of the
fancy bottles, wicker-covered. in which
It is sold. When the empty bottles are
not sold outright for decoration, they
are taken to some convenient cellar and
reflled. It will be seen that were the
I entire vintages of Bordeaux and Bur-
gnndy brought to New York they would
be but a drop in the vinous ocean.
How, then, is the supply procured?
In March, 1886, 1895, 500 gallons of
California wines were brought to ew
York City alone. This was an unusual
" heavy consignment, and it would
have t o be kept up steadily were moth
ing but pure wine drunk. BY what
means, then, is the deficit between the
combined wine product of Europe and
America and the amount actually con-
sumed suppliedp
There are several old Frenchmen in
New York who have made almost ma
tional regulations rs wine dealers and
experts. They have about retired from
business, but, with the proverbial thrift
Of their nation they still find time to
tend to their shops a few hours daily.
Some of them have large restaurants
in connection with their wholesale and
retail wine trade. and favored custom
ers are often given an opportunity to
smack their lips over some rare old
wine, whose label is too dust-begrimed
to be legible, and as they hold the wine
to the light they become enthusiastic
over its color, flavor and bouquet, and
probably order several dozen bottles of
it sent to their homes. Now this wine
may be old and it may be new. 1t may
be imported from France, or perchance
it was pressed u on the sunny Italian
hills; but it is more than probable that
the old ~Frenchman, unless he knows
that his customer has a trained or del
icate palate, has given him some wine
that is but the partial product of the
vine, and was concocted under the skill
ed eye of monsieur in the sub-basement
Of the very establishment where it is
drunk. Why should one find fault? II
Sis surely o complimentary in a host
to give one the result of his own labor
than to furnish one with that of another.
If it is a real wine there is exactly one
chance in ten thousand that it is what
the label represents it to be-. 1t may be
the outcome of a. judicious mixture of
several indifferent varieties blended into
I q harmonious whole, or it may be an,
American wine sailing under false col
Ors. ~
Human ingenuity has never vet been
able to make wine without some small
percentage of alcohol, so this element
remains as a base for the worst of pro-
ductions. As a rule the manufactured
wines are offered either as California
wines, or as DIN ordinaire, or sour
olaret. They are the distillation of raj
sins colored with logwood. The raisins
are placed in a vat filled with water at
q temperature of 60 degrees, there be-
ing ffty-five gallons of water to every
hundred weight of raisins. Some SUI
5gar is often thrown in to hasten fer
,mentation, which usually lasts eight or
ten days, at the end of which time the
liquid is drawn off and wine is made.
1t is Of course pale, and it is doctored
with some h~igh-colored Spanish wine,
which is cheap, and then a solution of
40 gwood isadded. These wines do not.
.at the most, contain more than ten per
seent. Of alcohol. and having but little
stannin they will not keep long. When
wine is thus produced it will not cost
much. Raisins are not expensive, and
.noldy article answers as we'll .as one
that is fresh. They NAV be BOUGHT for